These lightweight designs particularly support the strengths of alternative drive systems.

 When used as an alternative to synthetic surface modifiers in high-quality coatings, Michelman’s bio-based technolog

On October 12th, during the Pharmapack Awards Ceremony, a team of industry experts awarded Symbioze, Nemera’s large-volume on-body injector, with the Pharmapack Award in the “Connected Devices and Wearables” category.

Nemera’s novel on-body injector platform, Symbioze, comprises of a reusable main unit and disposable prefilled drug container module. It offers an ideal balance between the need to deliver advanced formulations at high volumes - up to 20 ml - and patient’s ease-of-use required for self-administration at home. It is the perfect combination between design robustness, ease of use, connectivity, and sustainability, for a seamless and enhanced injection experience.

Symbioze is specifically tailored to administer complex drugs, such as biologic therapies, thanks to a highly engineered, reliable drug delivery system. It is suitable for large volumes such as 20ml and beyond, while preserving the formulation integrity – which is critical especially with monoclonal antibodies. It is designed to reconcile complex drugs injection with stakeholders’ (patients, HCP or payers) most demanding needs, with enough flexibility for adjustment to any pathology, targeted patient population and drug posology. Its reusable core technology can be re-used across multiple injections, leveraging its sustainable benefit for pharmaceutical players.

“We are very delighted and pleased to receive this prestigious award. This is a recognition to our long-standing commitment to put patients first as well as our innovation capabilities.” – said Séverine Duband, Nemera’s Marketing Director, Drug Delivery Devices – “Over the last decade, several trends impacted the parenteral environement: shift towards at-home and value-based care, growth of biologics, connected health technologies, waste management. These continuously fueled a need for an easy self administration of large dose volumes. With this in mind, we developped our on-body injector platform Symbioze, to deliver large volumes at home, in a sustainable and userfriendly way.”

Bernhard Rohn, VP of Strategy and Marketing, added: “We are very delighted to have received the Pharmapack award for our Symbioze wearable. We developed Symbioze to provide an intuitive and easy-to-use solution for patients, combining high injection volumes up to 20ml, a sustainable reusable/disposable product architecture and compatibility with standard pharmaceutical filling- and final-assembly processes.”

Launched in 1997, the Pharmapack Awards celebrate the latest innovations from packaging companies within the drugs, medical devices, health products and veterinary drugs sectors.

Symbioze at a glance:

BENEFITS

Sustainable and cost-effective

Reusable electromechanical part with disposable drug-containing module

• Intuitive and easy to use for optimum treatment adherence

Simultaneous removal of ergonomic needle safety cap and adhesive liner, minimizing steps-of-use

Provides live injection monitoring, audio-visual feedback, and failure mode control

Enhanced treatment management with a broad range of connectivity features: treatment information, historical trending, infusion status, compliance…

Easy pairing between device manager application and the core system

• Ideal for complex, novel drugs administration whilst staying in line with pharma standards

Enables large volume injection (up to 20ml), with adjustable parameters (i.e: flowrate, viscosities, dose volume…)

Specifically tailored for biologics to preserve formulation integrity

Compatible with standard cartridges, filling and manufacturing processes

KEY FEATURES

Patch-worn on-body injector

Reusable:

sable: o Consists of drug-containing disposable element and reusable, rechargeable onboard electronic modules

Locking system for safe assembly and disassembly of reusable and disposable parts

Ready to use:

Prefilled and preloaded drug cartridge for patient’s safety

Automatic soft canula insertion via needle safety system with hidden needle throughout the injection

Innovative fluid path to maintain sterility from manufacturing to device use

Platform approach:

Provides customization flexibility for adjustments to any pathology, targeted patient population and drug posology

Can accommodate various drug volumes especially for large-volume administration (20ml)

Connected:

Drug recognition and verification via NFC communication

Bluetooth built-in communication offers connectivity option

Find Nemera on the web at www.nemera.net

As a world-leading drug delivery device solutions provider, our purpose of putting patients first enables us to design and manufacture devices that maximize treatment efficacy.

We are a holistic partner and help our customers succeed in the sprint to market of their combination products. From early device strategy to state-of-the-art manufacturing, we’re committed to the highest quality standards.

Agile and open-minded, we work with our customers as colleagues. Together, we go the extra mile to fulfill our mission.

Pianoro (Bologna) – Today a new Made in Italy mechanical company is joining Marchesini Group, a Bologna-based multinational that specialises in the production of industrial lines for pharmaceutical packaging, including Covid-19 vaccines, and cosmetic products. The company, Dott. Bonapace, based in Cusano Milanino (Milan), manufactures laboratory machines used for Research and Development and small industrial production of consumables.

Formerly a historic Lombardy-based pharmacy founded in 1872 and then a small manufacturer of machinery for galenic products, Dott. Bonapace was founded in 1946. Over the following decades, three generations of the Bonapace family helped transform the founder’s dream into a pharmaceutical company capable of meeting the needs of over 5,000 customers worldwide, including ministries of health and state-owned enterprises in many countries. This success story “from the bottom up” reflects the passion and dedication of Marchesini Group, which started out in a garage in Pianoro (Bologna) and over the course of 45 years has become one of the world’s leading players in the packaging business, with 2,000 employees and a turnover of 430 million euros.

With this move, Marchesini Group is acquiring 70% of the shares in Dott. Bonapace and expanding its already extensive machine park with new technologies that handle special products such as suppositories and capsules.

“We have made a number of important acquisitions in recent years, but Dott. Bonapace is our first venture into the laboratory machinery market” commented Marchesini Group CEO Pietro Cassani. “Entering this new segment - as was the case for the high-level software segment - will allow us to further diversify our portfolio of mechanical companies and better manage the supply chain during this current period of recovery”.

Flavio Gallocchio, marketing manager at Dott. Bonapace, remarked: “My partner Simone Berto and I are proud to inform customers, suppliers and employees that our company has now become part of the prestigious Marchesini Group. We are therefore celebrating our 75th year in business together, confident that this collaboration will once again showcase Italian excellence worldwide”.

The acquisition will have an immediate highlight: the attendance of Marchesini Group and Dott. Bonapace at CPhI Worldwide, in Milan from 9 to 11 November, dates that will mark the great return of international trade fairs devoted to pharmaceutical technologies. For the occasion, Marchesini Group will be exhibiting a BL-A418 CW Print&Check machine, a solution designed to meet the needs of pharmaceutical product tracking for anti-counterfeiting purposes. 

Essentra Packaging will unveil its latest pharmaceutical packaging solutions that provide both supply chain agility and sustainability benefits on stand 6B30 at CPhI Worldwide in Milan between 9th-11th of November.
Whether pharmaceutical companies are looking to reduce their carbon footprint and minimise material usage, use only FSC content and replace plastic materials, or reduce packing time and maximise machine efficiencies – Essentra Packaging’s experts will be on hand to discuss the options available. 
A complete range of eco-friendly packaging innovations will be on display, highlighting Essentra’s carton, label and leaflet solutions that enable companies to meet their sustainability goals, while also achieving high levels of patient safety and production line efficiency. The highly visual and engaging stand will be decorated with Essentra products to emphasise this connection. 
Solutions on display include ComboPack, which loads cartons on the packing line with a secondary packaging material, such as a leaflet, already inserted, thereby maximising speed and efficiency. Whereas increasingly the incorporation of additional items into a folding carton is carried out manually, ComboPack inserts materials at the gluing station as an integral part of the manufacturing process. This reduces the complexity of the operation and allows production to be planned more easily, thus increasing overall efficiencies and security through avoidance of potential packing errors. 
In addition, the Essentra Packaging stand will highlight the key role of the company’s Innovation Hub in helping customers to improve the sustainability of their packaging through advice on areas such as pack design, material selection and manufacturing process. 
Olivier Serre, Sales and Marketing Director for Essentra Packaging said: “CPhI is the pharma industry event, and we are delighted to showcase the sustainable and efficient packaging solutions Essentra Packaging delivers.
“It is by working together with customers that we are able to deliver the appropriate bespoke, and ground-breaking packaging solution for each particular requirement and we welcome visitors to our stand to find out how we can help them with their pharmaceutical projects.”
 

ABOUT ESSENTRA PACKAGING

At Essentra Packaging we manufacture and deliver pharmaceutical and beauty packaging solutions that today’s leading brands demand.

From regulatory compliant folded cartons, leaflets, foils and labels to the latest anti-counterfeiting security technologies, serialisation, and bespoke clinical trials packs, we pride ourselves in having the flexibility to create packaging solutions quickly. 

Our global footprint and single standard quality system ensure products are always produced to the highest standards, and provide the reliability, agility and knowledge to understand and meet our customers’ needs at a local level. 

With sustainability and innovation central to our product development, our many years of experience and long-term partnership approach delivers packaging solutions that protect and enhance our customers’ products, whilst maximising supply chain efficiencies and reducing their environmental impact.

Find out more about our portfolio of healthcare and beauty products at www.essentrapackaging.com
 

To expand its carbonated soft drink (CSD) brands “Planet”, “Bubble Up” and “American Cola” and meet market needs for home consumption with larger formats, Nouvelle Brasserie de Guinée (Braguinée) reached out to Sidel for help with the remote tuning of its packaging line to produce 1L bottles. In just three days, Sidel’s multi-expertise team from around the world were mobilised to guide and empower the customer, using Sidel’s latest remote line-adaptation technologies and leveraging effective digital solutions for quick set-up of larger formats.

Braguinée is a family-owned company and part of Gaselia Group. It opened its plant, equipped with a Sidel PET packaging line, in 2018 in Conakry, capital of Guinea. Braguinée is one of the top three players on the Guinean CSD market with growing demand for its products. Its best-known products are “Planet”, available in six flavours, “Bubble Up”, in three flavours, and “American Cola”. It also manufactures other beverages such as energy drinks, juices and bottled water.

As Gaselia Group had already experienced successful collaboration with Sidel since 2009, Braguinée once again turned to its trusted partner to align with market demand. The company was previously producing beverages in small, on-the-go formats (300 ml and 350 ml) and needed to adapt its production for home consumption with a larger format (1L).

With travel restrictions due to Covid and to ensure a fast launch of the new 1L bottle, line tuning was carried out remotely thanks to Sidel Remote Video Assistance and Remote Access solutions. The complete packaging line with a Combi SF300 for CSD, installed in 2018, can now manage not only on-the-go formats but also 1L bottles for three of its flagship brands (“Planet”, “Bubble Up” and “American Cola”) with high efficiency, running at 22,000 bottles per hour (bph).

with in-depth equipment expertise to ensure a safe and efficient line adjustment to the new format. To do so, an international team of high-level Sidel experts from Pakistan, Italy, Portugal and the United Arab Emirates were mobilised to ensure flawless line conversion. Remote collaboration, continuous availability of Sidel experts, accurate and clear communication between both parties as well as specific documentation facilitated the successful installation of the new equipment parts required to run the new 1L bottle format.

“A fast release of our new product on the market with minimum line downtime was possible thanks to strong collaboration and excellent project management by Sidel. Everything was planned in detail, from parts installation to line start-up, and we could count on the expert team at every step of the project. They also showed great teaching skills and, thanks to the digital solutions they used, they quickly transferred Sidel's expertise to our team. Learning by doing was a great way to develop our operators’ technical skills even further!” remembers Amadou Ndiaye, Technical Director at Braguinée.

Right combination of digital tools for efficient remote support

Line tuning for the new format involved a combination of complementary digital remote solutions: Remote Video Assistance (RVA) and Remote Access to customer equipment. Braguinée’s team could successfully check all mechanical aspects: correct installation and adjustment of parts, validation of machine operations, and optimisation of line efficiency. In addition to live chat and drawing-over functionalities, the video-supported Augmented Reality feature accurately guided the customer. With Sidel’s expert hands showing the movements and pointing to details in real time on the equipment, seamless exchanges were possible. This resulted in Sidel experts having complete situational awareness and in accurate corresponding actions from the customer’s operators. Also, during line adaptation, Sidel experts checked all settings and set the correct ones for the new format to ensure its quality and maintain optimal line efficiency.

“Despite the distance and Covid restrictions, Sidel was able to provide the same high quality of line conversion services to the customer with the help of our digital solutions, thus enabling greater flexibility in the whole process. The remote services also gave an additional advantage for Braguinée by saving on travel-related project time and costs for the Sidel team,” says Hannes Oeschger, Lead Customer Care Manager at Sidel.

Live again at last, Reifenhäuser will exhibit at Fakuma in Friedrichshafen from October 12 to 16, 2021. It is the first major presence event for the plastics industry to take place in Germany this year.

The Reifenhäuser Group is represented on a joint exhibition booth (A6- 6206) by its three business units, "Reifenhäuser Extrusion Systems", including the screws and barrels specialist "Reifenhäuser Reiloy", along with its film divisions "Reifenhäuser Blown Film" and "Reifenhäuser Cast Sheet Coating". The divisions will exhibit their broad portfolio of plasticizing components for injection molding and extrusion together with complete lines for blown film and flat film production.

Wear-resistant components for recyclate processing The focus of this year's Fakuma is clearly on the change from a linear to a circular economy and the resulting new demands that this places on components and production lines. Ralf Pampus, Managing Director of Reifenhäuser Reiloy, explains: "In recyclate processing, the extruder plays a particularly vital role since recyclate quality often varies and impurities or wear-inducing substances must be safely processed. This is why we offer our customers highly wear-resistant screws and barrels. In fact, we are the only manufacturer that develops and produces hard-metal alloys for wear protection in-house. This helps us to achieves extremely long service life - a crucial factor affecting the economic efficiency of production lines."

Reifenhäuser regularly sets benchmarks in wear protection with its wellknown Reiloy screws and barrels, offering verifiably longer service life, precise matching of raw materials and additives, and exclusive alloys with powders developed in-house and process-optimized surfaces. Manufacturers of injection molding and extrusion products therefore benefit from the best cost-benefit ratio in the industry.

Sustainable cast film for the circular economy "Reifenhäuser Cast Sheet Coating" presents complete line concepts for flat film production. The trade show highlight is the new MIDEX 11-2500 Cast Film Line with MDO, which Reifenhäuser has now put into service at its film Technology Center located at its headquarters in Troisdorf. The line is a genuine all-rounder and has an impressive range of applications. Customers can produce a wide variety of products on it, from CPP and CPE films to barrier, hygiene, and industrial films. This helps to react flexibly to rapidly changing market requirements. Mark Borutta, Sales and Marketing Manager at Reifenhäuser Cast Sheet Coating, says: "This line supports our customers to further develop their products; for example, they can offer sustainable end products by downgauging and changing from conventional multimaterial barrier films to monofilms.”

Sustainable cast film for the circular economy "Reifenhäuser Cast Sheet Coating" presents complete line concepts for flat film production. The trade show highlight is the new MIDEX 11-2500 Cast Film Line with MDO, which Reifenhäuser has now put into service at its film Technology Center located at its headquarters in Troisdorf. The line is a genuine all-rounder and has an impressive range of applications. Customers can produce a wide variety of products on it, from CPP and CPE films to barrier, hygiene, and industrial films. This helps to react flexibly to rapidly changing market requirements. Mark Borutta, Sales and Marketing Manager at Reifenhäuser Cast Sheet Coating, says: "This line supports our customers to further develop their products; for example, they can offer sustainable end products by downgauging and changing from conventional multimaterial barrier films to monofilms.”

The special feature here: Visitors can inspect the line virtually at the Fakuma booth. Reifenhäuser has digitized its entire film development Technology Center, offering its customers a guided 360° tour on a large screen at the trade show. The MIDEX 11-2500 is also now available at the Reifenhäuser Technology Center for customer trials and joint product development.

Ultra Stretch: Innovative stretching process enables All-PE composite for flexible packaging The third business unit, Reifenhäuser Blown Film, will also focus on its capability of producing recyclable end products. The technology solution here is EVO Ultra Stretch - Reifenhäuser's highly advanced stretching unit for sustainable blown films. It allows customers to produce monomaterial composites (All-PE film) for flexible packaging. The regular PET layer is replaced by stretched PE. With up to 10 times the stretch rate, the Ultra Stretch unit gives PE film completely new mechanical properties. This is a simple substitute for PET and there is no need to adapt other processing steps. The unique and patented position of the stretching unit directly in the haul-off of the blown film line makes the process particularly stable and efficient. Eugen Friedel, Sales Director at Reifenhäuser Blown Film, explains: "The special feature about our solution is that we stretch the film when is still hot from extrusion, at just the right time, and without having to reheat it. This also extends the natural annealing phase until the film is wound. It gives the film the time it needs to take on its new properties." The Ultra Stretch process is unique on the market and offers major advantages compared with the conventional process that involves stretching the film between the haul-off and the winder.

Visitors to the exhibition booth can experience Ultra Stretch technology in an impressive 3D animation video and in a virtual 360° tour through the Reifenhäuser Technology Center.

About the Reifenhäuser Group

The Reifenhäuser Group is the leading provider of innovative technologies and components for plastics extrusion. Founded in 1911, the company delivers advanced solutions to customers around the world through its highly specialized business units. With its technologies and the know-how of its 1,750 employees, Reifenhäuser has the world's largest network of expertise in plastics extrusion technologies. The CEO of the Group is Bernd Reifenhäuser

In the iconic bottle’s first major design refresh since its creation in 1979, Ardagh Glass Packaging – Europe worked closely with Absolut and design agencies, Brand Union and Destrito, to develop an upgraded design that nods to the progressive vodka’s Swedish craftmanship and heritage.

Among changes to the medallion, the quality seal and a new illustration of the original distillery, the words ‘Country of Sweden’ are now embossed within the glass, which links back to the long-standing tradition and knowledge of vodka making in the country.

Maria Persson, NPD Project Manager, Ardagh Glass Packaging - Europe, explained that the introduction of the embossed text presented the biggest design challenge in terms of the glass bottle production:

“The embossed wording ‘Country of Sweden’ stands proud from the surface of the bottle, so we had to consider how to design it in a way that would protect it from contact with other bottles on the production line.

“After several different designs, the agreed way forward was to create a ‘dip’ around the embossed wording, which allows it to sit flush with the side of the bottle, thus preventing it from being a contact point and ensuring a smooth production run.”

The updated bottle retains its iconic shape, inspired by an 18th-century apothecary bottle, but now enjoys a modernised design. 

Elin Furelid, Global Head of Product Portfolio & Design, Absolut adds: “We were keen to capture our rich, quality story and make that clearer on the bottle, signposting to what makes our vodka unique. We have of course kept the most important design elements that makes Absolut, Absolut.”

The global leader in developing and producing responsible bottles is partnering with Alianza and other orga

For so many of us, it’s a given that we can identify our favourite food products and read on-pack instructions.

And even though per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, did not come into existence until around the 1940s, tod

Swiss dairy company Molkerei Biedermann AG, a member of the Emmi Group, has recently installed an Ishida multihead weigher for handling nuts and cereals, which are packed as separate portions to accompany yoghurts and desserts.  The dairy is currently using the Ishida multihead to handle five different products at target weights from 14 g to 25 g and with pinpoint accuracy: the standard deviation for a 25 g weight, for example, is just 0.165 g.   

Molkerei Biedermann AG, based in Bischofszell in the canton of Thurgau, is one of Switzerland's most innovative dairies, operating processing lines for milk and cream and for making yoghurt, quark cheese and butter. Growing demand had led the company to urgently seek an automated and more accurate weighing and filling solution for its most popular product lines.

Some of these products are yoghurts and desserts with separate portions of additional ingredients such as cereals or nuts. To keep these ingredients crunchy and fresh until they are added to milk or yoghurt, they need to be packed separately. Molkerei Biedermann’s solution is a double-compartment arrangement involving two pots stacked on top of each other, with the smaller pot also acting as a lid. 

These double-compartment packs have proved extremely popular.  However, the company found that its existing volumetric dosing system for the cereal and nut mixtures was no longer able to keep up with the throughput necessary to meet rising demand.  In particular, volumetric dosing resulted in very high product giveaway due to overfilling.  “We were experiencing overfilling of up to 30%,” explains Operations Manager Mario Dux. “We could cope with that when quantities were small, but our production volumes are getting bigger all the time.”

To make sure that the company could weigh its high-value nuts and cereals with much greater accuracy, Molkerei Biedermann decided to invest in a multihead weigher.  

Itech, Ishida’s representative in Switzerland, installed an Ishida CCW-SE 10-head weigher, an ideal entry-level solution for multihead weighing needs. The SE-range offers significant advances in speeds and accuracy compared with dosing machines, linear weighers or static weighing solutions.

The rotary filler’s fill rate of 25 portions per minute currently dictates the speed of the line, which is well below the weigher’s capability of up to 70 weighments per minute.

The new weighing and packing solution offers a range of other benefits. While the old filling system led to many line stoppages, the Ishida multihead weigher has not caused a single fault. “What used to happen was that the different product mixtures would get blocked in the funnel during dosing, which interrupted the filling process,” says Mario Dux. 

Today, thanks to its Ishida multihead weigher, Molkerei Biedermann can process these tricky products without any hassle. Equally important, the flexibility that this has given the manufacturer has opened up opportunities to implement new product ideas from the marketing department. 

Another benefit is the fact that this new weighing and filling solution has significantly reduced product breakages as the system is able to transfer the product more gently into the pots. 

Molkerei Biedermann makes its double-compartment products in relatively small batches. To keep the product fresh for longer, the company aims to weigh and pack the product just before it is due for delivery to customers, meaning that product changeovers are frequent. With the Ishida weigher, changing products by calling up pre-sets at the touch of a button on the touch screen display has proved to be a valuable time-saver. To minimise downtime for cleaning, all contact parts can be removed and replaced without the use of tools.

Ends
About Molkerei Biedermann AG:

Molkerei Biedermann AG, based in Bischofszell in the canton of Thurgau, is one of Switzerland's most innovative dairies, operating processing lines for milk and cream and for making yoghurt, quark cheese and butter. Major customers include Swiss supermarket chains Migros and Coop, as well as specialist organic retailers. In addition, the company supplies to customers outside Switzerland. 

Molkerei Biedermann was established in 1974 and is now a wholly owned subsidiary of the Emmi Group. (www.biomolkerei.ch)
 

High packaging quality, maximum flexibility and ease of use: With the VSM® Bulky, Augsburg-based MBM innovations GmbH is setting new standards in the field of vacuum packag-ing. The compact model in hygienic design is a perfect all-rounder for vertical packaging of large products such as ham, pieces of meat or other large and loose containers. Numerous strong performance features not only offer added value for food processing companies, but also make the VSM® Bulky a resilient and at the same time efficient component in the pro-duction process.
The new packaging machine with manual bagging evacuates, gas flushes and seals vertically in a very confined space. It is particular-ly suitable for productions with frequently changing product batches or for applications where a high degree of flexibility is required. Ver-tical packaging enables vacuuming and gas flushing from above in bags directly within transport boxes or E2 crates, cartons or drums, which means that even large packs can be packaged easily and reliably. 
High packaging quality and efficiency
The extra-wide vacuum station with double-sided impulse sealing ensures reliable wrinkle-free sealing even with large formats and even with moist pouches. "In addition to the reliable vacuum, the wrinkle-free sealing seam and the double-sided impulse sealing are decisive factors with regard to packaging quality, product protec-tion and shelf-life," affirms Julia Mayer, Product Engineer at MBM. 
Other advantages that first-time users particularly appreciate in-clude a fast vacuum time and the fact that the VSM® Bulky is ready to start immediately at the touch of a button. "Separate pre-heating times are eliminated because we do not use a permanently heated sealing bar. This means that the packaging machine con-tributes significantly to higher productivity. This is particularly no-ticeable with frequently changing batches," adds Julia Mayer.
Thanks to the proven VSM® technology, the entire evacuation process takes place under normal atmospheric pressure - without a vacuum chamber. This guarantees a high quality vacuum that is gentle on the product, which is particularly advantageous for sensi-tive product structures.
Flexibility in many respects
The space-saving, slim design allows the versatile VSM® Bulky to be used in almost any work environment. The innovative model is also mounted on castors and can simply be pushed wherever it is needed. However, should modifications be necessary due to spe-cific requirements, MBM offers the possibility to make individual adaptations to the standard machine thanks to its high vertical range of manufacture and comprehensive expertise in special ma-chine construction.
Another plus: The VSM® Bulky has two gas connections so that two different types of gas can be connected for gassed packs with modified atmosphere (MAP packs). Individual programmes with the different gas types and vacuuming times can be stored in the system for this purpose.
Finally, there are virtually no limits to the flexible multi-talent in terms of the range of products that can be processed. The extra-long sealing bar (max. sealing length 1,100 mm) even accommo-dates packaging of very large products and loose packs. Hams, roasts and various pieces of meat, sausage, fish and cheese can be packed safely without any problems. There are also numerous possible applications in the pharmaceutical and non-food sectors. 
Easy operation, cleaning and maintenance
In the development of its brand new all-rounder, MBM placed great emphasis not only on optimum performance and machine quality, but also on hygiene, ergonomics and safe working with the ma-chine.
For example, the VSM® Bulky has a hygienic design based on EHEDG [European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group] guide-lines and can therefore be used in sensitive application areas such as the food industry. The integrated cleaning programme for rinsing the suction nozzles and hoses also ensures ideal and effective cleaning of the machine.
The machine is controlled safely and intuitively via the KTP 700 touch panel with a total of ten programme positions. With two-hand operation and protective covers, MBM naturally meets the highest safety standards.
In addition, as with all VSM® systems, MBM customers benefit from a high level of ease of maintenance. Common wear parts can be easily replaced without the need for a service technician, and spare parts are quickly available. This also has a positive effect on machine availability and ultimately on productivity. "In the case of more complex work, our experienced service technicians are also available quickly," adds Julia Mayer. 
Optionally, the VSM® Bulky can be equipped with a roller convey-or as well as a bag insertion aid for quick insertion of the bag into cartons or boxes.
 

About MBM Innovations GmbH
For 60 years, the company has stood for innovation, quality and competence in mechanical engineering. Now in its third generation, the Augsburg-based tradi-tional company combines the down-to-earth values of a family business with a spirit of innovation and modern entrepreneurship.
MBM was founded in 1961 as Sebastian Mayer Maschinenbau GmbH in Augs-burg with a focus on special machine construction and machining activities. With the development of the VSM® vacuum system in 1971 and the construc-tion of the first vacuum packaging machine with the VSM® system, the success story of VSM® machines in the field of cheese ripening began. Further mile-stones in the company's history include the construction of the first VSM® vacu-um packaging machine with automatic bagging using a bag magazine in 1986 and the launch of the first VSM® vacuum packaging machine with fully auto-matic bag feed in 1997. In 2017, the company was renamed MBM innovations GmbH.
Today, with its semi- and fully-automatic vacuum packaging machines, MBM is a powerful and at the same time reliable partner for customers all over the world. The focus is always on developing the best possible packaging solution for the respective requirement. All models are manufactured at the Augsburg site.
 

Gualapack Spa is announcing its plans for expansion in Brazil, as part of the Group’s continued efforts for a sustainable, global growth through vertical integration. 

Gualapack strongly pursues international development to support its positioning on the global market as the world leader in pre-made spouted pouches and a global player in the flexible packaging industry. Brazil has been a strategic area for the company's growth since 2015, when the Group opened the dedicated subsidiary Gualapack Brasil in Iperó / São Paulo by merging with pouch producer Tradbor.

Today, Gualapack continues to invest substantially in this promising region of the world with the acquisition of Teruel Embalagens – Papéis Amália Ltda. Teruel is a traditional family business with 50 years of expertise, specializing in flexographic printing on flexible film at its two factories in Brazil. 

With this agreement, Gualapack Brasil aims to achieve various interconnected goals. First of all, being able to manufacture laminates within the company will allow the Brazilian subsidiary to achieve vertical integration in the production of pouches destined to the South American market. Second of all, the acquisition will help Gualapack Brasil align with the Group's global portfolio and grow within its technology crossover strategy – which includes laminates, pouches, injection moulding and filling lines. Finally, the company is effectively incorporating new technologies focused on sustainable packaging solutions, as Teruel has proven capabilities in the development of new products and green technologies, some of which it has patented.

Alan Baumgarten, CEO of Gualapack Brasil, points out that “Teruel’s specialty, which includes its own patented technologies in the country and worldwide, as well as the use of paper in flexible packaging, will make a key contribution to Gualapack’s line of sustainable products. Furthermore, the acquisition allows Gualapack Brasil to align with the company’s global portfolio.” 

Thus, after only six years in operation, with this acquisition Gualapack Brasil marks the beginning of a new phase in its history. Now having 3 plants and additional integrated capabilities, the company is poised to reach new levels of opportunity thanks to its determination to invest in new technologies, increase its production capacity, and enable local manufacture of sustainable solutions such as films and mono-material pouches, which are easy to recycle. “This solution is already adopted by large customers of the company in Europe and will now be available in Brazil. Our international positioning allows us to bring disruptive and innovative technologies and products to the country to serve large global and local customers,” explains Baumgarten.

ABOUT GUALAPACK 

Gualapack is the world leader in pre-made spouted pouches and a global player in the flexible packaging industry, manufacturing laminates, caps and pouches for baby food, snacks, pharmaceutical products and a wide range of other applications. The company is fully committed to sustainability, which in the past few years has been its greatest driver for growth and innovation. Headquartered in Italy, Gualapack has a global presence in 9 countries worldwide. 

ABOUT TERUEL EMBALAGENS - PAPÉIS AMÁLIA LTDA

Founded in 1969 by Amadeu and Amélia Teruel, Teruel has 50 years of specialized expertise in flexographic printing and currently operates two factories in Brazil: a 30,000-square-meter graphics plant in Jaguariúna / São Paulo, and a 20,000-square-meter unit in Ouro Fino / Minas Gerais. Teruel is one of the largest historical converters in flexography, recognized in Brazil and worldwide for high print quality and for product development focused on sustainable solutions. Its state-of-the-art machinery is capable of producing flexible industrial and commercial packaging for various uses and markets.

• Mondi launches RetortPouch Recyclable – a mono-material solution that supports the circular economy
• Innovative high-barrier film replaces aluminium ensuring new retort pouch solution is fully recyclable
• Extensive research enables range of application needs to be met

Mondi, a global leader in packaging and paper, has added to its range of sustainable premium food and pet food packaging solutions with the launch of RetortPouch Recyclable.

The new high-barrier pouch will replace complex multi-layer and unrecyclable packaging for a range of food and wet pet food products. Moist or semi-moist foods that are heat-treated in steam or hot water retort vessels to achieve commercial sterilisation for shelf-stable foods require retort packaging. The aluminium typically used in most solutions has been substituted with an innovative high-barrier film that keeps temperatures high and maintains short processing times during the retort process. The new mono-material retort packaging is fully recyclable, offering a solution that protects the product, provides exceptional shelf life for a mono-material solution and reduces potential food waste.

 
Mondi has spent over two years researching and testing this product to ensure that several important application needs can be met. The launch of RetortPouch Recyclable is another step towards Mondi’s goal of ensuring that all of its products are reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025 as part of its MAP2030 commitments.

 
Sustainability is a top priority for Mondi and we are committed to make this innovation available for all our customers by using our customer-centric approach, EcoSolutions. Our fully recyclable solution helps to lower the product’s environmental footprint and customers can be confident that their products will be completely protected throughout manufacturing and transportation and meet their sustainability goals. This is another example of our award-winning expertise in creating sustainable food packaging and delivering circular-driven solutions that work for the customer, the end user and the environment.

About Mondi

Mondi is a global leader in packaging and paper, contributing to a better world by making innovative packaging and paper solutions that are sustainable by design. Our business is integrated across the value chain – from managing forests and producing pulp, paper and plastic films, to developing and manufacturing effective industrial and consumer packaging solutions. Sustainability is at the centre of our strategy and intrinsic in the way we do business. We lead the industry with our customer-centric approach, EcoSolutions, where we ask the right questions to find the most sustainable solution. In 2020, Mondi had revenues of €6.66 billion and underlying EBITDA of €1.35 billion.

Mondi has a premium listing on the London Stock Exchange (MNDI), and a secondary listing on the JSE Limited (MNP). Mondi is a FTSE 100 constituent, and has been included in the FTSE4Good Index Series since 2008 and the FTSE/JSE Responsible Investment Index Series since 2007.

About Mondi Consumer Flexibles

Mondi Consumer Flexibles is part of Mondi’s Business Unit Flexible Packaging and a global manufacturer of tailor-made flexible plastic and hybrid packaging solutions that are sustainable by design. The product range includes pre-made bags, stand-up pouches and high-performance barrier materials with film- and paper-based solutions. Making it possible to provide paper where possible, and plastic when useful.  We serve some of the world’s biggest brands and FMCG’s in categories such as fresh food, pet food, home, and personal care. Committed to quality, we provide customer-oriented packaging solutions and cutting-edge innovations developed by our state-of-the-art R&D centre in Gronau. Our network serves customers from 27 operations located in 12 countries.

Enhancing sustainability along the pharmaceutical supply chain: As founders of the “Alliance to Zero,” eight renowned players have been jointly pursuing this aim since June 2021. The purpose of the non-profit partnership is to support pharmaceutical and biotech companies in their transition to net-zero emissions in line with the Paris Climate Agreement. Schreiner MediPharm, as an expert in pharmaceutical specialty labels, is one of the founding members.

The Alliance to Zero pursues the goal of launching net-zero pharmaceutical products in regulated markets by 2030 at the latest. To achieve this, the founding members have committed to developing a joint net-zero offering by 2026 to provide pharmaceutical companies with enough time to finish their total product on this basis.

The Alliance has developed a roadmap for a net-zero emissions concept for pharmaceutical production and the supply chain. Currently necessary steps are being developed and a harmonized language as well as principles for evaluating and monitoring the entire emissions footprint of the pharmaceutical end products are being defined. In addition, the Alliance is planning to collaborate with academic and non-profit organizations pursuing similar goals.

Dr. Thomas Schweizer, President of Schreiner MediPharm emphasizes the importance of the company’s membership in the Alliance: “For Schreiner MediPharm, as a pioneer in the production of innovative functional labels, sustainability starts as early as in product development that considers all lifecycles in order to achieve a reduced environmental footprint. For us, co-founding the Alliance to Zero means another important step toward holistic sustainability. We are convinced that, together with the other alliance partners, we will be able to drive the development of net-zero pharmaceutical products.”

In addition to Schreiner MediPharm, the founding members of the Alliance represent other renowned companies of the pharmaceutical and biotech value chain: Dätwyler, Harro Höfliger, HealthBeacon, Körber Pharma, SCHOTT, Sharp, and Ypsomed. Thus, the Alliance encompasses component suppliers, machine manufacturers and assembly/manufacturing service providers, manufacturers of primary and secondary packaging, and companies that are responsible for the final assembly of the products, or that handle products that have been returned after use.

The founding members of the Alliance to Zero regard their collaboration along the pharmaceutical supply chain as an important step in driving fundamental change to improve the climate footprint. The close collaboration across traditional company boundaries as well as the specialized expertise and individual know-how of each cooperation partner results in the development of holistic solutions that will have a positive impact on the pharmaceutical industry.

About Schreiner MediPharm
Schreiner MediPharm, a business unit of Schreiner Group GmbH & Co. KG based in Oberschleissheim near Munich, is a leading developer and manufacturer of innovative, multifunctional specialty labels and marking solutions with value-added benefits for the healthcare industry. Thanks to its strong solutions expertise and specialized know-how Schreiner MediPharm is a highly capable development partner and reliable quality supplier to leading pharmaceutical and medical device technology companies worldwide.

About Alliance to Zero
The Alliance to Zero is a Swiss-based, non-profit membership association that aims to facilitate the transition of the pharmaceutical sector to compliance with Net Zero emissions in line with the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. The alliance was founded in June 2021 by eight pharmaceutical supply organisations whose collaboration represents the complete value chain of pharma products. Further information can be found at: www.alliancetozero.com

 Gualapack Spa is announcing its plans for expansion in Brazil, as part of the Group’s continued efforts for a sustainable, global growth through vertical integration. 

Gualapack strongly pursues international development to support its positioning on the global market as the world leader in pre-made spouted pouches and a global player in the flexible packaging industry. Brazil has been a strategic area for the company's growth since 2015, when the Group opened the dedicated subsidiary Gualapack Brasil in Iperó / São Paulo by merging with pouch producer Tradbor.

Today, Gualapack continues to invest substantially in this promising region of the world with the acquisition of Teruel Embalagens – Papéis Amália Ltda. Teruel is a traditional family business with 50 years of expertise, specializing in flexographic printing on flexible film at its two factories in Brazil. 

With this agreement, Gualapack Brasil aims to achieve various interconnected goals. First of all, being able to manufacture laminates within the company will allow the Brazilian subsidiary to achieve vertical integration in the production of pouches destined to the South American market. Second of all, the acquisition will help Gualapack Brasil align with the Group's global portfolio and grow within its technology crossover strategy – which includes laminates, pouches, injection moulding and filling lines. Finally, the company is effectively incorporating new technologies focused on sustainable packaging solutions, as Teruel has proven capabilities in the development of new products and green technologies, some of which it has patented.

Alan Baumgarten, CEO of Gualapack Brasil, points out that “Teruel’s specialty, which includes its own patented technologies in the country and worldwide, as well as the use of paper in flexible packaging, will make a key contribution to Gualapack’s line of sustainable products. Furthermore, the acquisition allows Gualapack Brasil to align with the company’s global portfolio.” 
 

Thus, after only six years in operation, with this acquisition Gualapack Brasil marks the beginning of a new phase in its history. Now having 3 plants and additional integrated capabilities, the company is poised to reach new levels of opportunity thanks to its determination to invest in new technologies, increase its production capacity, and enable local manufacture of sustainable solutions such as films and mono-material pouches, which are easy to recycle. 

“This solution is already adopted by large customers of the company in Europe and will now be available in Brazil. Our international positioning allows us to bring disruptive and innovative technologies and products to the country to serve large global and local customers,” explains Baumgarten.

ABOUT GUALAPACK 
Gualapack is the world leader in pre-made spouted pouches and a global player in the flexible packaging industry, manufacturing laminates, caps and pouches for baby food, snacks, pharmaceutical products and a wide range of other applications. The company is fully committed to sustainability, which in the past few years has been its greatest driver for growth and innovation. Headquartered in Italy, Gualapack has a global presence in 9 countries worldwide. 

ABOUT TERUEL EMBALAGENS - PAPÉIS AMÁLIA LTDA
Founded in 1969 by Amadeu and Amélia Teruel, Teruel has 50 years of specialized expertise in flexographic printing and currently operates two factories in Brazil: a 30,000-square-meter graphics plant in Jaguariúna / São Paulo, and a 20,000-square-meter unit in Ouro Fino / Minas Gerais. Teruel is one of the largest historical converters in flexography, recognized in Brazil and worldwide for high print quality and for product development focused on sustainable solutions. Its state-of-the-art machinery is capable of producing flexible industrial and commercial packaging for various uses and markets.
 

Xaar, the leading inkjet printing technology group, has conditionally agreed terms with its joint partner Stratasys Solutions Limited to sell its remaining interest in Xaar 3D Ltd.
Xaar 3D Ltd has continued to make progress this year, although delays to the development of products due to the COVID-19 pandemic meant that the business would potentially require more investment than originally planned. 
The agreement with Stratasys will provide Xaar 3D Ltd with the best opportunity to complete the commercialisation of the product range in the shortest time and enable Xaar to focus on its core business with an injection of cash. Xaar will continue to receive royalties on product and service sales. 
Additive Manufacturing will continue to be an important focus for Xaar’s printhead business with the needs of the sector supported by Xaar’s extensive product portfolio and strong partnership approach to working with its customers.
John Mills, Xaar’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “This agreement will provide Xaar 3D Ltd with the best opportunity to continue its progress and leadership in the field of industrial 3D printing. We have enjoyed our partnership with Stratasys and look forward to continuing to work with them to supply printheads to Xaar 3D and share in the long-term success of the business. The agreement will also allow us to focus on our core business and other opportunities in the market that will support our long-term growth strategy.”
Ends

 
About Xaar

Together with our partners and customers, Xaar has been transforming the world of inkjet technology for 30 years – and we’re just getting started.

With a new leadership team, new technology and new products, we have an exciting roadmap for the future – that will help our partners unleash the true power of inkjet printing and open up a world of opportunities for their business.

We believe true innovation comes from collaboration, which is why all our teams work together in Cambridgeshire where industrial inkjet was born.

Collaboration is at the core of our global partnerships too - whether we’re helping customers enhance their uptime or create production efficiencies from high-speed digitisation - we’re always innovating together.

We know that inkjet technology can not only maximise the efficiency of our partners’ businesses but help them evolve too. That’s why we go on a journey with our customers - offering expert insights and technical support every step of the way. Just like our printheads, Xaar’s partnerships are built to last.

About Xaar

Together with our partners and customers, Xaar has been transforming the world of inkjet technology for 30 years – and we’re just getting started.

With a new leadership team, new technology and new products, we have an exciting roadmap for the future – that will help our partners unleash the true power of inkjet printing and open up a world of opportunities for their business.

We believe true innovation comes from collaboration, which is why all our teams work together in Cambridgeshire where industrial inkjet was born.

Collaboration is at the core of our global partnerships too - whether we’re helping customers enhance their uptime or create production efficiencies from high-speed digitisation - we’re always innovating together.

We know that inkjet technology can not only maximise the efficiency of our partners’ businesses but help them evolve too. That’s why we go on a journey with our customers - offering expert insights and technical support every step of the way. Just like our printheads, Xaar’s partnerships are built to last.
 

Berry Global Group, Inc. (NYSE: BERY) has announced that its Chairman and CEO, Tom Salmon, has accepted the appointment as an officer of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, a global nonprofit organization. As a founding member and first converter to join the Alliance, Berry continues its leadership role to help convene a worldwide network of over 80 member companies and partners in the mission to end plastic waste in the environment. 

Salmon continues to stand behind the power of plastics, known for its versatility, innovation, and lower overall environmental impact than other packaging alternatives*. Through his leadership, he will help guide the Alliance’s decision-making on global projects that are sustainable, circular, and scalable businesses.

“The selection of representatives across the sectors signifies the necessary collaboration across the plastics value chain,” said Salmon. “Ending plastic waste is only achievable when organizations partner to increase infrastructure, educate, and provide circular solutions to give plastic multiple lives.”

The Alliance aims to advance a circular economy for plastic waste by developing, deploying, and scaling solutions across four strategic pillars: infrastructure, innovation, education and engagement, and cleanup. 

“Tom has been a clear voice on how the plastics value chain can transform to become more sustainable and circular, which are essential shifts if we are to tackle the challenge of plastic waste holistically. I look forward to the work we can accomplish together to advance a circular economy for plastic waste,” said Jacob Duer, the Alliance’s president and chief executive officer. 

*Source:  LIFE CYCLE IMPACTS OF PLASTIC PACKAGING COMPARED TO SUBSTITUTES IN THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA: Theoretical Substitution Analysis. Prepared by Franklin Associates

About Berry 
At Berry Global Group, Inc. (NYSE:BERY), we create innovative packaging and engineered products that we believe make life better for people and the planet. We do this every day by leveraging our unmatched global capabilities, sustainability leadership, and deep innovation expertise to serve customers of all sizes around the world. Harnessing the strength in our diversity and industry leading talent of 47,000 global employees across more than 285 locations we partner with customers to develop, design, and manufacture innovative products with an eye toward the circular economy. The challenges we solve and the innovations we pioneer benefit our customers at every stage of their journey.

Spanish flexible packaging producer Emsur Saymopack has increased their productivity and the lifetime of their adapters with the new rotec® Eco Xtra ring from XSYS. This next-generation Eco Bridge technology further improves the durability of the adapters by reducing wear from mounting sleeves.

Stuttgart, Germany – 6 October 2021. The rotec® line of Sleeves & Adapters from XSYS is under constant development with new innovations introduced to help converters improve press performance and print quality. The Eco Bridge adapter is a patented technology that enables significantly easier sleeve mounting, as well as more efficient compressed air usage. The next evolution of the rotec® Eco Bridge maintains these advantages while taking sustainability to the next level. The Eco Xtra is a modified stainless-steel ring that incorporates the revolutionary air supply system of the Eco Bridge, and additionally guards against wear by strengthening the operator-side of the adapter.

The first customer to take advantage of this innovation is Emsur in Spain, who has been testing the Eco Xtra adapter at its Saymopack plant, in Valencia. 

“During rough production processes, our adapters were becoming damaged very fast, so we needed to reinforce the operator side. The new ring with the innovative air supply protects the adapter from wear and improves the mounting characteristics quite significantly, as well as the overall lifetime,” says Marcos Gaspar Calatayud, who is responsible for process improvement at Emsur Saymopack

Relying on long partnership
A division of the Spanish multinational Grupo Lantero, Emsur has more than 900 staff across its nine production plants located in the following eight countries: Spain, France, Poland, Russia, the US, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina. With over 30 years of experience, its packaging solutions are exported worldwide to customers primarily in the food sector, but also in the industrial, agrochemical and pharmaceutical sectors, in more than 60 countries. 

The Emsur Saymopack plant is located in Algemesí, just south of Valencia, and specializes in flexible packaging production, with both rotogravure and flexographic printing presses in-house. Like all Emsur facilities, it has obtained the ISO 9001 and 14001 certifications and is committed to sustainability based on food preservation, waste reduction and the development of eco-friendly products. An ambitious investment plan undertaken over the past few years has seen the company expand its printing and converting capabilities to fulfil a large portfolio of products for its customers. 

Through the XSYS regional agent, LR Flexo, Emsur Saymopack has enjoyed the benefits of rotec® sleeves and adapters for plate-mounting on its wide web flexo presses for more than 10 years. “We have had a great relationship with LR Flexo for many years and we always get the best service,” says Gaspar. “And now with the new Eco Xtra ring, they even developed something designed specifically for our needs. We can now mount our sleeves much faster and speed up the whole process”.

Improving on performance
XSYS rotec® Eco Bridge technology first introduced a completely new system of air distribution for adapters to the market in 2017. An innovative breathable metal ring at the operator side replaced the standard air holes that would normally run along the length of the adapter to allow easy and fast mounting of sleeves. Creating a uniform air pillow, sleeves simply float into place with little effort needed from the operator. This set a new standard in mounting and reduced compressed air usage by up to 90%, while all staff in the pressroom could enjoy an up to 99% quieter operation.

To further improve on the performance, the Eco Xtra Adapter has incorporated the original Eco Bridge technology and its advantages into a new steel ring, making it more robust. “All adapters, including the Eco Bridge, will wear over time, as sleeves are mounted and demounted, hitting the edge of the adapter day in, day out,” explains Uwe Mueller, Product Development Manager for XSYS. “This wear will cause the compressed air to start leaking, which will increase the time needed for mounting, and eventually render it impossible. The new Eco Xtra ring prevents this type of wear, while still ensuring fast and perfect mounting every time.” 

At Emsur Saymopack, the entire team in the mounting department are very happy with the improvement, because it makes their daily work so much easier. Gaspar concludes, “Although it sounds like a simple solution, these new carriers with the ‘metal ring at the end’ are a remarkable improvement that makes the mounting of printing sleeves fast and simple. Even more remarkable is that it extends the useful life of the adapter itself. We would like to add this technology to all the adapters we use on our presses.”

“The rotec® adapters are tailor-made to customers’ specification and we are always looking to find new ways to optimize the products for their benefit,” comments Lluis Rebled, Owner/Director of LR Flexo. “And of course, we are very proud to work with Emsur Saymopack and support them in their pursuit to eliminate any problems, big or small, in their flexo printing department. You are only as strong as the weakest link in the process.” 

 Caption
On the picture from left to right: Marcos Gaspar Calatayud, (Process improvement manager at Emsur), Marc Yaguee Gonzales (Key Account Manager at XSYS), Laura Mondéjar Caballero (Process Engineer at Emsur).

ABOUT XSYS
Formed in January 2021 as a new division of Flint Group, combining Flint Group Flexographic and Xeikon Prepress into a single division, XSYS has been designed to bring more brilliance into the packaging industry – into the lives of its customers and colleagues – using brilliant products and services for brilliant print results and business success. It combines under one umbrella such well-known flexographic and letterpress brands as nyloflex®, Xpress, nyloprint®, nylosolv®, rotec®, FlexoExpert, ThermoFlexX, Catena, TFxX and Woodpecker, to provide a complete flexographic and letterpress prepress solution.

XSYS operates from more than 37 locations around the world and remains one of the largest global suppliers offering both flexographic and letterpress prepress solutions, including plates, sleeves, processors, workflow solutions and expert professional services designed to help these industries move forward with increasing innovation, improved productivity and profitability and a reduced environmental footprint.